FROSTBURG, Md. -- The 24th-ranked Christopher Newport volleyball team will return to Capital Athletic Conference action on Friday at 6 p.m. when the Captains battle Frostburg State before returning for a pair of neutral-site matches against Neumann at 11 a.m. and Lebanon Valley at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Bobcat Arena.
 
CNU comes into Friday's contest with a 7-3 record, including a 1-0 mark in league action, while Frostburg State sits at 5-13 overall and 0-1 in CAC play. Meanwhile, Neumann enters the week with an 8-8 mark, and Lebanon Valley stands at 6-7.
 
The Captains are currently on a two-match roll after boasting back-to-back three-set sweeps against York (Pa.) and William Peace. Against the Pacers on Wednesday, Katie Piper registered her fifth consecutive double-digit kill outing with 12 blasts. Megan O'Hara also unloaded 11 kills, and Lauren Tracy notched a double-double with 34 assists and 15 digs.
 
Rounding out a well-balanced performance, Riley Garrison added eight kills on 18 attacks, and Allie Plumlee plucked 10 digs.
 
Overall this season, Piper ranks second in the CAC with a 3.08 kills-per-set average, while Tracy is second with a 9.08 assists-per-set mark. Among other conference leaders, Mackenzie Wright is third in blocks-per-set (0.85), Garrison is sixth in hitting percentage (.268), and Josie Lucernoni is sixth in digs-per-set (4.03).
 
Frostburg State enters Friday on a nine-match skid but stands at 1-1 at home this season. Leading the way up front, Haley Altemus and Biamba Tshitenge are both averaging over 2.50 kills per set, while Katie Onyundo is fifth in the league with a 7.30 assists-per-set mark. On the defensive side, Tshitenge has a team-high 33 blocks, including 15 solo stops. On the back row, Cori Smothers is fourth in the league with a 4.25 digs-per-set mark.
 
Neumann is coming off of a 3-0 setback against Elizabethtown, which snapped a two-match winning streak. The Knights have been paced by Melanie Malseed, who is averaging 4.08 kills per set while hitting at a .280 clip. She is also averaging 4.05 digs per frame. Along with Malseed, Kirsten Longueira has popped a team-high 36 aces, and both Rachel Cray and Alex Koppany are averaging over 6.40 assists per frame.
 
Lebanon Valley has won two of its last three outings, including a 3-0 victory at Penn St. Harrisburg on Tuesday. Jess Attieh has been effective throughout the year for the Dutchmen with 154 total kills and a .342 hitting percentage. She also leads the squad with a 0.71 blocks-per-set average. Meanwhile, on the back row, Emily Smeltz is averaging 3.45 digs per frame, while Reily Shelly has 90 total digs as well.
 
In nine previous meetings, CNU holds a 5-4 advantage in the series against Frostburg State. The Captains also hold a 2-0 edge all-time against Neumann, while the battle against Lebanon Valley will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
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